Fluid motor



Dec. 17, 1946.

E. M. EVANS FLUID MOTOR Filed April 12, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN TOR. ZZMZk'ams' Dec. 17, 1946. E. M. EVANS FLUID MOTOR Filed April 12, 1945 4 Shets-Sheet 2 ZMEvana I N VEN TOR.

E. M. EVANS FLUID MOTOR Dec. 17, 194

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed. April 12, 1945 lZMZ'vana INVENTOR Dec. 17, 1945.

E. M. EVANS 2,412,877

FLUID MOTOR 7 Filed April 12, 1945 4 Sheets$heet 4 Patented Dec. 17, 1946 FLUID MOTOR Eugene M. Evans, Jefferson City, Mo., assignor of one-fifth to E. J. Tietjen, Jefierson City, Mo.

Application April 12, 1945, Serial No. 537,944

2 Claims.

This invention relates to fluid motors for actuation by liquid or gas, one of the objects being to provide a motor of this type which is of simple construction and utilizes, as an essential part thereof, a casing defining a helical passage for the flow of fluid from an inlet to an outlet, said casing constituting a stator in which a rotor, in the form of a disk, is mounted for rotation about the axis of the helix and between the inlet and outlet whereby fluid passing through the casing must, of necessity, flow laterally through the rotor through opposed arcuate openings, the rotor being so shaped and positioned that this lateral flow of the fluid will set up a rotation thereof so that the rotor thus can be utilized as a driving element.

A still further object is to combine with the helical passage a yieldingly restrained valve whereby the flow of fluid from the inlet through the rotor to the outlet can be maintained ata predetermined rate, there being by-passing means by which the minimum speed of rotation and rate of flow can be maintained under idling conditions but the valve being designed to open automatically or else under the control of the user, thereby to increase the rate of flow and proportionately increase the speed of the rotor.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a structure of this character which can be used for various power purposes. It is also useful as a means for feeding chemicals into fluids while flowing through the casing, the feeding of the chemical by rotor-actuated means, being such as to maintain a predetermined proportion or ratio during variations in the rate of flow and in the speed of rotation.

Another object is to provide a structure of this character which will stand up during long continued use, which will not be afiected by hard substances, such as sand or grit, which may be directed thereinto, and which can be installed in various positions without impairing its Working qualities.

Another object is to provide a power device of this character containing but few parts and which can be caused to operate from aminimum flow of square inch at the inlet up to any maximum flow, subject to the size of the motor, a steady operation' being insured up to three times the normal flow rate.

A still further object is to provide a motor of this type which, while designed primarily for actuation by liquid, can also be driven by gases under pressure.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the

invention consists of certain no-vel detail of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out ll} the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts Without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the motor.

Figure 2 is a developed or displayed section through the rotor and stator taken through 360 degrees.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 Figure 1.

Figure l is a section on line 4-& Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5, Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a plan view of a portion of the rotor.

Figure '7 is a section on line 1--! Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a view on a reduced scale of the inner face of the inflow section of the stator.

Figure 9 is a view of the inner face of the outflow section of the stator, this view also being on a reduced scale.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, A designates a casing or stator containing a helical passage l leading from a fluid inlet 2 to a fluid outlet 3 and this passage defines a single convolution. The casing or stator A is divided along a plane perpendicular to the axial center of the casing so as to divide the casing into an intake section 4 and an outflow section 5. The two sections are held securely together by bolts 6 or the like extending through marginal flanges l and the meeting faces of the two sections cooperate to form a circular recess or working chamber 8.

Those portions of the helical passage within the respective casing sections are closed adjacent to the recess 8 except for arcuate slots o-r ports 9 and It which are located directly opposite each other, the port 9 constituting an outlet into recess 8 from the intake section of the casing, while the port I 0 constitutes a fluid inlet for the outflow section of the casing.

Adjacent to the inlet 2 and within the stator is a valve chamber ll normallyclosed by a removable cover plate l2, and at the bottom of this chamber is an inclined seat 13 adapted to be engaged by a flap valve M which is yieldingly held to its seat by spring l5. A by-pass it is located back of the seat I3 and maintains constant communication between the inlet port 2 and the recess 8.

A disk I! constituting a rotor is positioned for the valve It the pivot pin 2!] on which it is' mounted, rotates therewith. One end of this pin 7 f is extended outwardly from the wall of the cham-- ber H and carries an index or pointer 2| which is located where it can be viewed by the attendant.

Disk I1 is secured to a shaft 22 journaled in a suitable bearing 23 and also within the upper and passage.

lower walls of a transmission housing '24 which is carried by the stator or casing A. Mounted on this shaft within the housing is a drive screw or worm 25 which is in constant mesh with the worm gear 28 secured to a cross shaft 21 carrying an eccentric 28 in the form of a pin which is off center and in engagement with one end of a connecting rod 29. This connecting rod is pivotally joined, as at 30, to a shank 3i mounted for reciprocation in the base 32 of a housing or casing 33. This housing or casing has a head 34 provided with an outlet port 35. The movable end 36 of a bellows pump 31 is joined to the shank 3| while the opposed or stationary end of the bellows, in dicated at 38, is fixedly secured to the head 34 and has an outlet 39 opening into the port 35. Port 35 constitutes a connection between inflow tube 40 and anoutflow tube 4i and it is to be understood that the outflow tube 4| can be extended to and open into the fluid outlet 3 of the stator. A check valve can be located at any suitable point in the tube 40 as indicated at 42 so as to prevent return flow of fluid within said tube. Another check valve 43 can be located in the tube 4| for the purpose of preventing return flow of fluid after it has been forced into said tube 4|. An additional check valve 44 can be located in tube 4| adjacent to the outlet end thereof.

The apparatus herein described is designed primarily as a chemical feeder although, as has already been stated, it can be used as a power device or motor for other purposes. When used as a chemical feeder, th pump formed by the bellows 3'! is successively expanded and contracted so that the chemical to be fed into the fluid passing through the stator, will be successively sucked through the tube 40 into the bellows and expelled from the bellows into the tube 4| from which it will be discharged into the outlet 3. As thisbellows is operated by the rotation of shaft 21 which, in turn, receives its motion from the rotor Il, it is to be understood that the amount of chemical expelled into the outlet 3 can be maintained constantly at a predetermined ratio to the rate of flow of the fluid within the stator.

Fluid entering the inlet 2 will be discharged continuously in the form of a small jet, through the by-pass l6 and the impact thereo; against the adjacent inclined blades [9, will obviously cause the rotor'to travel in the direction indicated by the arrow at in Figure 2. The fluid flowing against and passing between these blades will thus be delivered into the outlet [9 and ultimately be delivered through the discharge end of the outflow section 5. Thus constant rotation of the rotor is insured although this'normal rotationwill be 4 at a greatly reduced speed, and occurs only when the fluid entering the inlet tube is of small volume and has a low rate of flow. As the .rate of flow increases and the pressure against the closed valve proportionately increases, said valve will be opened a distance dependent upon the pressure thereagainst and as the valve opens, fluid is released past the valve so as to partly or entirely flll the intake section 4 of the helical passage and from this intake section this released fluid will be directed through the arcuate outlet port 9 against "all of the blades I9 exposed within said port.

Thus the rotor will be driven at an accelerated speed and the fluid passing between the blades will be received by the arcuate port l0 and delivered into the outflow section of the helical As the speed of rotation increases due to the increased flow of fluid against the rotor, the delivery of a chemical into the outlet 3 will proportionately be increased so that a predetermined ratio thus will be maintained. As the flow in port 2 diminishes, the valve I3 will gradually move toward its closed position with a corresponding reduction of the speed of the rotor.

The arcuate intake port I0 extends through approximately 345 degrees, while the port 9 opening thereinto extends almost the same distance, the faces of the two sections 4 and 5 overlapping'only at the points b and 0 between the ends of the ports and at opposite sides of the rotor. Thus any vacuum which might be created at the point of infinity of the meeting tapered portions of the helical passage is overcome.

Attention is called to the fact that by providing a helical passage, the arcuate port 9 is extended substantially throughout the circumference of the rotor and the same likewise is true of the intake arcuate port It. I V

As the two portions of the helical passage at opposite sides of the rotor are duplicates, fluid directed from one to the other through the rotor will flow freely without creating any back pressure so that unrestrained movement of the rotor is thus insured. Furthermore, the actuation of the rotor in itself serves to throw the impelling fluid frombetween the blades and into the outflow section of the stator so that the rotor thus becomes self-clearing.

What is claimed is:

1.,A fluid motor including a stator having a helical passage therein provided with an inlet and an outlet at respectiveends thereof, said stator being divided atthe center of the passage along a plane perpendicular to the axial center of the passage, thereby to provide an inflow sectionand an opposed outflow section, each of said sections having an arcuate port extending through approximately 345 degrees, and a disk mounted for rotation between and coaxial with the ports, said disk having a circular series of spaced blades pitched to successively receive the impact of fluid flowing from the inflow section to the outflow section, that portion of the helical passage in one section being tapered off from the inletof the stator to the remote end of the arcuate port in said section and that portion of the helical passage in the outflow section being tapered off in wardly from the outlet port of the stator tothe remote end of the arcuate port of said outflow section, and a spring-restrained valve within the helical passage adjacent to the inlet of the stator and normally spaced between the ends of the arcuate port in the inflow section of the stator, there. being a by-pass for maintaining constant communication between said inlet port of the stator and the rotor, thereby to maintain constant motion of the rotor under the action of fluid entering the inlet of the stator.

2. A fluid motor including a stator having a helical passage therein provided with an inlet and an outlet at respective ends thereof, said stator being divided at the, center of the passage along a plane perpendicular to the axial center of the passage, thereby to provide an inflow secate port in said section and that portion of the helical passage in the outflow section being tapered off inwardly from the outlet port of the stator to the remote end of the arcuate port of said outflow section, and a valve within the heli cal passage adjacent to the inlet of the stator and normally spaced between the ends of the arcuate port in the inflow section of the stator, there being a by-pass for maintaining constant communication between said inlet port of the stator and the rotor, thereby to maintain constant motion of the rotor under the action of fluid entering the inlet of the stator, and a spring positioned to resist movement of the valve from its seat, said spring being proportioned to permit movement of the valve from closed position in proportion to the pressure of fluid against the valve.

EUGENE M. EVANS. 

